united airlines grounding all 96 of its boeing 757s for emergency maintenance. the problem with those planes and how your travel plans could take a hit today. also, bernie madoff giving a jailhouse interview. and he's pointing the finger at others. saying others just had to know about his ponzi scheme. so did the big banks turn a blind eye? italy's prime minister now

facing trial in april accused of paying for sex with a minor. in a moment, cnn's exclusive interview with silvio berlusconi's accused madame. and welcome, glad you're with us on this wednesday, february 16th. welcome to "american morning." i'm kiran chetry. >> i'm t.j. holmes. right now, thousands of passengers could have their travel plans disrupted today after united airlines grounded its entire fleet of boeing 757s. why? they're going to have to perform emergency maintenance on computer systems of 96 plaines. allan chernoff here with the story today. explain the problem first of all. >> well, these are 757s, the entire fleet. and the computers on the planes that actually track the speed of the altitude and feed that

information into the autopilot. so this is really, really important stuff. united says, look, the computers have been operating. so it wasn't the real danger. let's look at a statement from them. they say further operational checks were necessary following a modification to the 757 air data computers. all systems have been fully functional. however, the airline did have to cancel at least 25 flights inconveniencing passengers. >> they said we just found out that the faa has sent a message to all 757s that they have to be inspected before they can fly. they haven't told us what the issue is. we don't know how long it's going to take. >> they said some mechanical difficulties. i called the automated system and they said computer difficulties. you just wait. >> here's the big question. united is complying with an faa directive from 2004. the summer of 2004. why is it that the airline took

until now to actually conduct this maintenance? and that is a question we have not yet had answered from the airline. it clearly would indicate faulty monitoring of their maintenance systems. >> who was supposed to monitor? was the faa supposed to make sure this was done? >> the airline was responsible for making sure these things were done. the faa tells the airlines you need to check these computers. the airlines are supposed to do it. apparently it didn't happen. again, the computers are fully functioning. it doesn't seem anyone has any risk whatsoever. the danger here is apparently there's a possibility of a malfunction where a siren, an alarm goes off telling the pilot you're going too fast or too slow, when, in fact, that may not be the case. that could be dangerous. >> we'll see how long it takes to get them up and running again. >> the problem should be gone by today. >> allan chernoff for us this morning on this. thanks so much. some disturbing news this

morning about a brutal attack against a cbs reporter in cairo. lara logan was covering the celebrations friday, the day that president mubarak resigned. when she was surrounded by a mob, beaten, and sexually assaulted. cbs has released a statement about logan. saying in the crush of the mob, she was separated from her crew. she was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 egyptian soldiers. cbs will have no further comment out of respect for logan and her family's privacy. this is clearly a very upsetting situation. at 8:10 eastern, judith matloff will join us. she's known lara logan for 20 years. and she will be talking to us more about whether or not this is a very dangerous beginning in

terms of women being able to cover war zones. what happens now. she also says in many cases, assaults are not reported because female correspondents are afraid they will not then be allowed back into war zones. we'll be talk with her about that in a couple of minutes. the political unrest in bahrain. so far, two people killed there in clashes with police. thousands of people, protesters have taken to the streets of the capital city. the king there in a television appearance there. he promised to investigate the deaths and promised to deliver on earlier promises of reform in that country. the u.s. state department hassishhas issued a statement. our jill dougherty will be at the state department later this morning. we'll check in with her. brand new this morning, the italian prime minister's accused madame is speaking exclusively

to cnn. she sat down with dan rivers on a day that the prime minister ordered silvio berlusconi. she suggests the evenings were innocent. >> this was not how the evenings used to finish in anyway. absolutely not. there's that music group, let's call it, in which there can be some soft music, rather than more modern music. but i would not absolutely describe it as nightclub in any way. >> some of the evidence suggests that you were topless at some of these parties that you were dressed up in some sort of uniform. is that true? have you ever been topless in the presence of the prime minister? >> no, i haven't. >> and you're laughing -- >> i'm laughing because it seems -- it's very much -- i mean, laughable, that's all i

can say. >> if you're wondering what bunga bunga party means in this instance. it's been referred to the parties that the prime minister held that allegedly ended in sex. she's been investigated for providing girls to the prime minister. dan rivers will be joining us live from milan next hour. amanda knox and her parents are facing charges of their own today. the american student was convicted of a satanic murder and sexual assault of her female roommate back in 2007. her boyfriend was also found guilty. the trial became a tabloid sensation. and in a 2008 interview, knox's parents told a newspaper that their daughter was physically and verbally abused by authorities. and they have now been charged with slander. knox's parents spoke to our drew griffin a few hours ago. >> i don't know how seriously i take it.

only because our focus is so much on amanda and what's happening with her appeal that this is just kind of a, you know, side thing. one more hoop we have to go through. really? what else do you want to try to get us with? it feels very personal now. it feels like, okay, you're after our daughter, after us. >> that slander charge in italy does -- could be punishable by up to three years in prison. amanda knox's appeal is coming up this spring. also drew griffin will join us live in an hour with more. bernie madoff speaking out for one of the first times since he was busted back in 2008 for that epic billion dollar ponzi scheme. he told the "new york times" he never thought his crimes would cause so much destruction to his family. he also maintains that they knew nothing about his elaborate fraud. madoff does, however, accuse unidentified banks and investment groups of turning a blind eye to his game. telling the "times," they had to know.

the attitude was sort of, if you're doing something wrong, we don't want to know. rob marciano in the extreme weather center. good miranda warniorning to you. >> a rebound in temperatures is on the way. 28 degrees right now in new york, 28, as well, in philadelphia. everybody pretty much east of the rockies, the continental divide will be for the most part dry today. and some spots, going to be downright toasty. these are record highs for yesterday. garden city, kansas, 70. rapid city, south dakota, 67 degrees. billings, montana, 62. all while a very powerful series of storms continue to pummel the west coast and slamming the sierras. more about that in a little bit and how much warmer the temperatures will get. at least 10 to 15 degrees warmer today than you were yesterday across parts of the northeast. won't last forever. we'll detail the long-range forecast in about 30 minutes. >> sounds good, rob. thanks so much. up next, if you thought

flying the friendly skies was a pain now, wait until you hear what the government predicts will be in the coming years when it comes to how many people will be in the air. an incredible scene caught on tape. a parking garage in texas collapses. we'll show it to you and the aftermath, as well. it's ten minutes past the hour on this "american morning." at northern trust, we understand... that while you may come from the same family... you know, son, you should take up something more strenuous. you have different needs and desires. - i'm reading a book. - what's a book? so we tailor plans for individuals, featuring a range of integrated solutions. you at your usual restaurant? son: maybe. see you tomorrow. stairs? elevator. to see how our multi-faceted approach...

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13 minutes past the hour. christine romans coming up in a second. she said hold on to your handbag. she'll explain about that in a second. thanks for being here with us. get a look at some of the things we're keeping a close eye on. >> this is a parking garage that collapsed. it happened near a hospital in san antonio, texas. it caved in and was caught on a surveillance camera. here's a look. the collapse happened in two parts. first, the concrete beams and the columns crumbled.

the whole structure clearly destroyed. the 112-man construction crew escaped. there were only -- there were two that were injured by some falling debris. one is in critical condition. there is still no word yet on what caused that collapse. also this morning, the president issuing a veto threat. put out a statement saying that the administration rejected billions in proposed gop cuts to fund the government for the rest of this current fiscal year. he said he will veto a bill that undermines the country's "ability to outeducate, outbuild, and out-innovate the rest of the world." the president says he's open to bipartisan talks. this is a story we've been on top of from the beginning. jpmorgan chase now trying to make a mends after overcharging 4,500 military families on mortgages and accidentally foreclosing on 18 service members' homes. the banks pledged yesterday to lower interest rates to 4% for

eligible soldiers and to strengthen modification programs for distressed military homeowners. they also will donate 1,000 homes to military families and veterans over the next five years. >> nice to hear they're trying to make that right. also coming up, now, christine romans. like i said, hold on to your handbag. that was the tease when she sat down. we're talking about the crowded skies. and they're about to get more crowded. good morning to you. >> hold on to your handbag because you're going to be on a plane by the year 2021 with a billion other passengers holding on for dear life in a crowded skyline. by 2021, you will see 1 billion a year traveling in the u.s. well, how does that compare with right now? about 712 million passengers are flying the crowded skies already. what's the cost of unclogging this air space? what do we have to do according to the faa and aviation officials to make sure we can handle that traffic? we've got to open up new lanes,

new highway lanes in the sky. and that will involve not using the radar-based air traffic control system that was frankly the way that our parents traveled and was in the system when we were born. but instead, we have to switch to something called the next gen. a satellite-based system that allows more planes to fly closer together and opens up new places and more direct air routes for them. >> did you say allowing planes to fly closer together? >> well, with more precision. a satellite-based system that allows more lanes in the sky, more planes in the sky. the air traffic control system. they have certain distances between planes -- >> that doesn't make you feel good. >> that's why i say hold -- hold on to your handbag because there's a lot of people -- no, look, it could cost $160 billion over the next 15 years, this next gen system. the government is saying we have to stay on track for that. we've heard this from them before. they estimate that the cost of the economy without a new system by 2033 will be $40 billion a year.

and also it could mean a very congested way of flying in this country. so there you go. flaying the crowded skies. >> for t.j., hold on to your man purse. >> i didn't know you saw that. >> thanks, christine. well, coming up, we're going to bruce introduce you to the nation's top dog. yes, westminster's best in show revealed. >> i believe it's the first time this breed won, right? you're a cat guy, never mind. an 84-year-old arizona man stranded in his car in the desert five days, but he was saved. how windshield wiper fluid helped him survive. 17 minutes past the hour. e're b. hmm? i'll get the dodo. - ( all yelling ) - scandalous. - ( alarm blaring ) - warden, two boys going for a stroll. - release the hounds. - ( dogs panting ) ( dramatic music playing ) oh my spleen!

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20 minutes past the hour on this "american morning." an 84-year-old arizona man telling his story of survival after being stranded in the desert for five days. hank morello is his name. he was leaving his favorite restaurant last week when he apparently made a wrong turn and ended up stranded in his car. >> i ran right into a ditch. and i got stuck in that ditch.

then the battery went dead, my phone went dead and i went dead. windshield wiper, i broke the top off the thing with a rock and sucked some of the water out of there. they says you're lucky you're alive because that's poison, isn't it? >> yeah, that's the -- i think that wiper fluid. they don't recommend you ingest that stuff, i don't believe. but you heard him there. made a wrong turn, ended up in a ditch and everything went wrong from there. he used his floor mats to keep warm at night, passed the time by praying and reading -- listen to this -- the car manual cover to cover. hikers eventually found him on sunday. he suffered damage to his kidneys, dehydration, and exposure. but doctors say he's going to be all right. >> that's unbelievable. oh, man. he's -- i'm so glad he's okay. >> poor guy. >> so lucky they found him. poor thing. it's all about poise and pedigree who took home this year's best in show? take a look. >> best in show is -- the hound.

>> there he is, the deer hound. how about it? history was made at the dog show. hickory, a scottish deer hound came out on top. it was a big surprise for many of the dog show elite. the 5-year female is the first of her breed to take the coveted title. this is the hound group. this is only the fifth winner from the hound group. hickory outshined more than 2,000 other dogs. congratulations. >> i've always wanted to go to that show. >> i know. it's so cool. >> congratulations. coming up. a story we've been telling you about here the past couple of weeks. a concern to many health officials in this country. something called fake cocaine has the same effects, but check this out. it's easy to buy and perfectly legal in a lot of places. our debra feyerick coming up. also, a major drug find.

a 100-foot long narco sub. who found it? and where was it headed? what's around the corner is one of life's great questions.

and while it can never be fully answered, it helps to have a financial partner like northern trust. by gaining a keen understanding of your financial needs, we're able to tailor a plan using a full suite... of sophisticated investment strategies and solutions. so whatever's around the corner can be faced with confidence. ♪ northern trust. look ahead with us at northerntrust.com. well, 25 minutes past the hour on this "american morning." a u.s. immigration agent was killed and another wounded in an attack in mexico. this happened on tuesday. these i.c.e. agents were driving

between mexico city and monterey. they were doing routine work when they were forced off the road and surrounded by up to ten people and shot. the other officer who is recovering right now, he has gun shot wounds to the arm and leg. these are the first i.c.e. agents ever shot in mexico according to the immigrations and customs enforcement. and check this out. in colombia, the military seizing a drug-smuggling submarine capable of transporting up to 8 tons of drugs. they call it a narco sub. it was empty when soldiers found it. it was able to travel to the coast of mexico without having to surface. they say this is the first time they've seized a drug-carrying vessel operated completely under water. we're going to turn to a popular and disturbing trend, especially among teenagers. thee these things called bath salts. a similar effect to cocaine and meth and it's legal in most places. >> that's the most shocking part, you can buy this at the

store. this fake cocaine as they call it. you don't need to leave your home to get your hands on some, you can order it online, as well. deb feyerick gives us an inside look on how easy it is to buy this product. you could never come in here and be carrying cocaine with you, but you have these two little viles. >> that's right. they come in these sleek packages like this. they come under a variety of names. it's a synthetic chemical. it's marketed under the name under bath salts and doesn't show up in any drug tests and is extremely addictive. >> this one's called bliss. it's 500 milligrams. people have taken as little as 10 milligrams and had really bad reactions to it. hallucinations, suicidal impulses. basically took us less than two minutes to order this fake cocaine. >> reporter: but demand is so high, the seller calls to say it's sold out. instead we'll get something

twice as potent called serenity now. >> how scary is this, would you say? >> i'd say 15. >> reporter: we open one of the small viles vials in front of special agent. >> and it's done in total anonymity. >> there's no back street, you know, alley ways where you're meeting your drug dealer or whatever. you googled it. >> reporter: the package doesn't say what's in it or how much to take. >> how it affects you may not be the same way it affects me or someone else. you could take it one day and be fine, take it another day and have a completely different response. >> reporter: triggering in some cases severe psychotic episodes. >> how big is the threat, the danger? >> you don't know what you're buying. you don't know what you're putting in your body. the long-term effects can be dangerous. >> potentially i'm holding a jar of poison and someone could very

well ingest this? >> that's right. >> we googled methidrone, and one man was moving uncontrollably, almost possessed. and this comes from places like pakistan, china, india, but nobody knows what's in this. you're paying $40 or $50 for this. >> it looks innocuous. it's very easy to get. >> that's -- >> it looks like make-up -- >> that's right. and that's 500 grams in there. it takes 10 grams to trigger a psychotic episode in some people. so you really have to be careful. we're talking about it. but the drug enforcement administration's really, really worried about this and trying to get the message out that this is not safe. you have to be really careful. that if you're going to try this, beware of the consequences. >> are they going to be able to head this off? shut this down? or get some legislation? >> well, it's outlawed in a couple of states. florida has made it a felony to

carry it in the states. they did it now just in time for spring break because they were afraid that kids would walk into gas stations or tobacco stores trying to pick this up. and they didn't want to take that risk. >> that is scary stuff. thank you so much for that this morning. at the bottom of the hour here now. some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on, including a rough day for passengers who are flying united. the airline has temporarily grounded its entire fleet of 757 jet liners for emergency maintenance. 96 planes taken out of service to perform follow-up checks on air data computers. only domestic flights are affected here. united hopes to return to full service some time today. well, bernie madoff tells the "new york times" he suspected some banks knew about his ponzi scheme and turned a blind eye to it. in his first prison interview, he maintains his family knew nothing. he also never thought they would suffer so much for his crimes. his son mark committed suicide back in december.

he said he wanted to attend the funeral, but the prison would not allow it. madoff is serving a 150-year sentence. and peaceful protests in bahrain this morning. at least two demonstrators, however, have been killed this week in violent clashes with security forces. his king has apologized, promising an investigation. also promising to make good on the promises of reform. bahrain, of course, a key u.s. ally in the region. the state department has expressed concern about violence. and urging all parties to exercise restraint. meanwhile, like i said, we have seen thousands of people pack into the streets. especially in bahrain's capital. similar to what we've seen in cairo. a pulitzer prize winner nicholas joining us on the phone. is it clear what these protesters want? >> well, their demands are changing. initially, they talked about wanting more democracy.

and to have political prisoners released. but they were really outraged at the government's brutality toward the peaceful protests earlier in the week. and at those two deaths. increasingly they're calling for the -- essentially -- the overthrow of the ruling family and the conversion of bahrain into a constitutional monarchy in which the king would reign, but not rule. >> has that been the norm or the exception there? does it seem to be a concerted effort by the government to crack down violently on these protesters? >> earlier in the week, there's no question. that there was a concerted deliberate effort to use a truly stunning amount of force. when you had very small groups of peaceful protesters, even of women just sitting unthreateningly on the ground, the riot police would charge

them, fire extraordinary amounts of tear gas at them, shoot rubber bullets at them. and that was what led to the first fatality. and then in the funeral for that person yesterday morning, the police fired buck shots at the mourners and killed another person. and i was at the -- at that second funeral this morning, a few hours ago. and that went peacefully. the police stood back and they -- i think they realized that they went too far and aggravated the situation. >> nicholas, does it seem like the government's efforts are working at this point? or are these protests continuing to gain momentum? >> well, the attempted crack down certainly raised them to a new level, outraged people all the more. i spoke to a young businessman this morning who said he would never have dared go out and protest. but he was so infuriated by the government crackdown, by the way

they were killing these people that he for the first time did decide to go out in the streets and fight to overthrow the regime. now that the regime has backed off, it's a little hard to say where things will go. it is possible that, you know, that similar concessions will win the day. and that there will be some kind of a truce and agreement to have more democracy, some more concessions. and then people will go home. it's just very hard to predict. >> nicholas cristoff, thank you so much for hopping on the line this morning. and up next, will and kate planning their first trip as a married couple this summer. where they might be headed and some other details for the soon to be royal couple. also, your fashion fix coming up. not just about the clothes. not just about the models. it's all about who has that coveted front row seat. it's 34 minutes past the hour on

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morning. this is great. 34 right now. it's going to be a high of 56 in washington, d.c. >> sounds good. >> yeah, a nice pleasant change from some of the colder temperatures we've been seeing, at least on the east coast. rob marciano keeping an eye on all of that for us. i can't wait. i thought all that wind this weekend meant it was going to be warm yesterday and it ended up even colder. >> winds of change. we'll have some winds of change today too, though. just when you're getting used to the cold, the warmth comes and vice versa. on the west coast, it's been the same way for a couple of days. very stormy weather pattern out here. and that's pretty much the reason the east coast is quiet. from seattle down to san diego now is where the rains are falling and some of these heavy at times. the focus has shifted to the sierras and parts of northern california. and the sierras anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of snow. and that's stretching into the wasatch of utah, getting into the colorado rockies just to build on that base.

you go east and down slope from the rockies, and you've got some more. look at these record high temperatures yesterday. garden city, kansas, 70, rapid city, south dakota, 67. and 62 degrees in billings. these are typically spots minus numbers this time of year. there's your warmth in the same spot that got the 2 feet of snow last week. a big melt happening right now. chicago seeing melting right now. and today you'll be windy also. and because of that, we have some travel delays potentially throughout the new york city metro area. the airports there. houston also some rain and wind in san francisco and rain as mentioned getting down to san diego and los angeles and all the way over the mountains into reno, nevada. 76 degrees for the high temperature in dallas, 61 degrees in kansas city, 80 in el paso. the february sun getting a little higher in the sky, getting that little bit stronger. a little bit of cloud cover. you saw it on the picture in

d.c. 46 degrees for the high temperature in new york. that's warmer than yesterday by about 10 or so degrees. and tomorrow warmer than that, 61 degrees, might touch 70 in washington, d.c. we're looking good here as far as the warm-up is concerned. but don't get used to it. come this weekend, another shot of cold air coming in. not quite spring yet. but mother nature's trying. t.j. and kiran, back up to you. >> trying hard. wi we need it. thanks, rob. a rare look at a comet up close. that's coming up. it's 40 minutes past the hour on this "american morning."

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it's 42 minutes past the hour on this "american morning." it was the showdown between man and machine on "jeopardy." you had some all-time jeopardy champs taking on a computer by

the name of watson. this is an ibm super computer. but day two of a three-day competition. watson, the computer, is now way ahead of his human challengers. watson the computer now has more than $35,000. number two, the guy has $10,000, the other guy has $4,800. he's whipping them. the computer in the final "jeopardy" question got that question wrong. the category was u.s. cities. the question was about particular airports and the computer guessed toronto. in the category of u.s. cities. some flaws there with the computer a bit. the final match is going to air tonight. >> i wonder if they had dumped all the information dumped north america, maybe they did continent instead of countries. that's a programming issue. they're calling it a valentine's day rendezvous. a close encounter with a comet 200 million miles away from earth.

how do these two stories go together? because zain is covering both of them this morning. what are you more fascinated with? the comet or royal wedding? >> i would say it is a wedding out of this world. that's what -- how i would put it, guys. let's start with the wedding with william and kate. they're going to get married april the 29th, and their first official trip as husband and wife is going to be where? canada. that's cool, eh. they're going to go about three provinces, go to the arctic, as well. canada wants to issue some stamps to honor their very first visit there. canadians, they love the royals here. they love the queen. she's very popular there. she's the head of the state in canada because she's head of the commonwealth. guys, that's where they're going first. >> pretty cool. and of course, every move they make is analyzed and every single thing they do, everybody

wants to know why they came to that choice. can't they just say well, you know, it's because we wanted to do it? >> no, you see -- because the queen is the head of the commonwealth. that's the first official -- usually that they would tend to make and acknowledge canada's position in the commonwealth. so there's the duty part of it. and then there's just the fun part of it. and the fun part for us is, what is she wearing? what about the jewelry? how does she look? we like that gossipy stuff. >> this is another thing i know you're fascinated with. the planning that goes into trying to figure out more about space. and this rendezvous getting closer than we have to this particular comet. tell us more about that. >> yeah, that was amazing. this is -- this happened about 200 million miles away from us. and what happened was that there was a spacecraft having an encounter with a comet. it went by it, took some pictures. about five years ago, scientists

crashed this probe on to this comet and created this big crater. do you see the crater there, kiran? i don't. and what scientists are saying happened and oops that it blew this massive hole and the debris came up and then the debris fell back into the crater. so you can't actually see the big hole there, and it kind of healed itself is how they're describing it. but what's great about this, they passed it a couple of times, this particular comet. and they've got all of this information that they're going to be analyzing. but that's a pretty amazing picture. and a romantic valentine's day rendezvous is what you called it. out of this world. >> yeah, it is amazing. some would say why do they -- what do they need to find out? i guess the comets are from the earliest days of the solar system? so they can try to figure out how all of this came to be? >> exactly. it tells us about the universe, the space we live in, and tells us something about us. a comet is small, it's cold, it follows the path of the sun.

and it's made up of grains and gases. so to study it tells us a lot of information about the history and the age of the universe. and now i haven't been so lucky as to feel this, but i'm given to understand that if you feel cometary material, it kind of feels like a badly packed snowball, right? and so it's fascinating to learn more. >> absolutely it is. well, zain, thank you for joining us this morning. and you can watch zain every morning at 5:00 a.m. eastern on "world one" here on cnn. it is one of the most closely guarded recipes in the business. coca-cola secret recipe locked away in a bank vault in atlanta. but a radio show claims it is popped the top on this closely guarded secret. take a look. they have say they have uncovered a list that shows the ingredients and the quantities. the exact recipe here. that list was published back in 1979 by the atlanta journal

constitution. and according to the paper, the ingredients include sugar, lime juice, vanilla, caramel. coke says the recipe is flat out wrong. >> lime? >> lime? >> i didn't think lime juice. >> there was a hint of lime. >> you have a discerning palate, i didn't know that. coming up, why united's 757s have been grounded. how is this going to affect travelers? and are these planes safe? well, what exactly went on inside italian prime minister berlusconi's parties. there is another woman talking. his suspected madam coming to his defense saying no sex happened. [ female announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®.

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52 minutes past the hour. the stars are out for new york's fashion week, and only the elite few get the best seats in the house. which, of course, is in the front row. >> apparently this is a big deal. i'm learning about this this morning. it's important to know who is lining the runway, not just who is walking down that runway. alina cho, can i get a seat in the front row? >> of course. come with me, darling. you've got to work really hard, though in the fashion industry because, you know, it's really a representation of your status. in a word, status, a front row seat means you have made it in fashion as an editor, retailer,

celebrity. these days, even a reality star. but it's not easy getting that front row seat. there's a lot of politics involved. and the seating wars begin weeks before a show. the powerful editor in chief of "vogue" has been sitting in the front row for more than 20 years. she earned it. fashion's equivalent of an olympic gold medal. >> you get to see everything magnified head to toe. you know, you can see the toenail polish. >> the fabric, hair and make-up, all the details you can't see from rows two, three, and four. >> it's very practical because you can see the full looks very clearly. if you sit behind, you're missing the shoes. >> who sits in the front row? top editors, big buyers, celebrities. >> people send letters and gifts and -- i mean, it's just insane. >> owen davidson is in charge of

seating for several fashion shows, including carolina herr ra's seats. what's in it for the designer? >> it's all about the press, isn't it? >> i think so. what do you think this show is all about? it's about the press. >> reporter: the reason the paparazzi is here covering who's at the show, not what's on the runway. why we could see some unlikely folks show up. >> could we see a snooki? >> it's a point of debate whether snooki would come to fashion week. >> speaking of reality stars. >> more leg room. that's it. i have no business being here. >> it doesn't matter. "real housewives" host andy cowen is a paparazzi magnet. part of the currency that could land you in the front row. >> and it's not just reality stars, it's some shows even some teenage bloggers with a cult

following are infiltrating the front row. and of course, this is causing a bit of tension with the fashion elite because people work years to move from row four to row three to row two to row one. because, again, it is a physical manifestation of your status to sit in that front row. everybody in fashion is there. and these shows last ten minutes, maybe less. people are arriving at the venue for more than an hour. and as one fashion insider told me, during that hour, there's a lot of picture taking of celebrities. and the designer is hoping those shots get into the paper the next day. it is all about the press. whether it's about the collection or the people sitting in the front row. >> see that, t.j.? you learn something everything day. >> i really do. and again, you're not paying for tickets to these shows. >> you can't buy the tickets. you can't buy tickets. you've got to earn it. >> i've got some work to do. >> yes, you do. someone who is always in the front row, victoria beckham.

we know her. but you may not be able to get her husband, at least, you can't get him to dress -- well, she's taking the fashion world by storm with her very own collection. now, tomorrow, we're going to sit down with victoria beckham, the designer, and hear about her inspirations and her successes. i think this is interesting because people made fun and scoffed at the beginning. but now her line is extremely well thought out and highly regarded. yeah. >> well received, rave reviews. she's really got industry cred, if you will. she talked about a lot of things, including being pregnant with her fourth child and shying away from celebrity now that she's found her passion. >> thanks, alina. we'll be right back with your top stories. wrench? wrench.

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good morning. united airlines temporarily grounding its entire fleet of 757s. and passengers left with a lot of questions and disruptions on this "american morning." and good morning to you all on this wednesday, february 16th. welcome to this "american morning," i'm t.j. holmes. >> i'm kiran chetry. if you're scheduled to fly united airlines today, you might want to pack patience, as well. there are delays and cancellations expected because united has temporarily grounded its fleet of boeing 757s for emergency maintenance on computer systems of 96 planes. cnn's allan chernoff is following the story for us this morning. this is a big chunk we're talking about. the entire fleet of 757s.

what's happened? >> that's about one quarter of their entire main line planes. and these travel across the country. a computer system that measures the altitude and the speed and then feeds that into the autopilot, you want that computer working. and we should note, they have been working. the issue here, though, is that they need some additional maintenance. united put out a statement saying further operational checks were necessary following a modification to the 757 air data computers. all systems have been fully functional. however, because of this maintenance that hadn't been done, united did have to cancel some flights. 15 yesterday, more today inconveniencing passengers. >> we just found out that the faa has sent a message to all 757s that they have to be inspected before they can fly. they haven't told us what the issue is. we don't know how long it's going to take. >> they just said there was some

mechanical difficulties and then i called the automated system and they said there were some computer difficulties. so you just wait. >> why wait until now? this is an faa directive that was put out in 2004 telling the airlines make this maintenance adjustment. united just discovered it hadn't been done. that's a bit of a problem. it indicates their tracking of maintenance is not what it should be. >> and so the other airlines with 757s are not affected? >> not affected. and also continentals are not affected. united and continental are part of the same company, but they have different arrangements with the faa. that's not merged just yet. >> allan chernoff, thank you so much. >> thanks. i want to turn now to that growing unrest we've been seeing in a number of countries in the middle east and north africa. now telling you about bahrain, protesters packing the streets. at least two demonstrators

killed in the clashes there with security forces. the u.s. state department expressing concern about the violence and urging restraint. let's turn to jill dougherty joining us live from washington. good morning to you. >> morning, t.j. >> what does the state department -- i guess the concern not just in bahrain, but what some thought would be a domino effect seems to be happening across the region. >> yeah, and you know, t.j., this is a very different country from egypt. egypt is huge, 80 million people. bahrain is tiny. but it's very strategically located on the persian gulf. and it's been simmering for quite a while. really they have a recipe for unrest. they have a king. he is a sunni muslim. and then about 70% of the population is shiite. and they say they have been discriminated against. so along comes egypt and the inspiration of that that was really the spark. so in bahrain, they created a twitter/facebook revolution. they called it the day of rage.

and two people have been killed and the police really brutally cracking down using rubber bullets and tear gas. and this is very important to the united states because it's the base for the u.s. navy's fifth fleet. so you did have that statement from the state department saying they're very concerned. and that they are welcoming investigation in taking care of anybody who might have used undue force by the security forces. >> our state department correspondent jill dougherty, we appreciate you as always. thanks so much. one of the women who partied with italian prime minister berlusconi is speaking exclusively to cnn. nicole minetti paints a different picture of the parties she attended with prime minister berlusconi. she is a former show girl. she's under investigation for providing girls to silvio berlusconi. a charge he flat out denies. minetti sad down with our dan rivers on a day that a judge

ordered berlusconi to stand trial on charges that he paid for sex with an underage girl. dan rivers live for us in milan this morning. and she's telling you that none of this happened. at least she never witnessed any of it happening. how credible is her story, dan? >> reporter: well, she's trying to brazen this out flat out denying she was effectively pimping for berlusconi. that's what she's being investigated for. as well as berlusconi himself also coming out this morning here, again, denying it. saying he's going to continue on governing here. but nicole minetti is one of the key figures in all of this. she denied that she had any sort of improper relationship with berlusconi, as well. basically insisting she was a friend and party loyalist. >> so you would deny ever having received any money from silvio berlusconi? >> well, he helped me in some

situations. he -- he doesn't have any problems helping people, even in an economic way. >> how much money did he give you? >> that's a detail which i wouldn't go into. >> thousands of euros? >> it doesn't matter. that's not the matter. >> well, some people say it does matter because it would suggest that he was either paying for your services or paying to keep you quiet. >> or he was helping me just because he cared for me. it could be one thing or the other. >> how would you describe your relationship with the prime minister? >> i had an affectionate relationship. meaning as -- someone that you care for and cares for you. >> but not an improper relationship? a sexual relationship? >> i wouldn't go in those details. those are private details. >> reporter: this is playing pretty badly for silvio berlusconi as you can imagine. let me show you one headline.

it says "sex it strategy." that sums up the coverage across many of the newspapers. pretty damning coverage of berlusconi. people here are divided. he remains popular despite all of this. and he is vowing to fact on. >> what was the motivation for her to talk to you. she wasn't answering a lot of the questions you wanted to know when it came to that situation. did she end up doing more potential damage to berlusconi? >> reporter: i think she clearly feels that she's coming out to fight for her -- effectively her ultimate boss. she's a local politician in his party here. she's very loyal to him. i would expect that she, you know, has decided this is in her political interest. she's had an incredible career. she's gone from a tv show dancer on a kind of light evening show here. then she changed into a sort of dental hygienist. she met berlusconi, he fast

tracked her into politics and she's only 25 years old. she's decided she wants to come out and back up berlusconi, the prime minister. >> amazing stuff. wow, italy politics so different than the united states, isn't it? dan rivers this morning, thanks so much. let's turn back to u.s. politics now if we can for a second. dealing with much different issues, the leaders of this country. the president, of course, he submitted his budgets this week. and already, republicans, already going after it. and he wants to deal with our budget issues on a bipartisan way. he's threatening to veto another spending bill. christine romans, help us out here. >> well, let's talk more about the president's budget and what's coming out here. the president giving a big press conference yesterday. i want to show you something that shows you just the kind of spending in this country that we have. it's this fascinating box that breaks out all the different kinds of tax dollars. where your money is going. look there on the left. medicare.

medicaid and children's health insurance. social security. about more than a third of the budget is right there on the left in the green shade boxes. look at the purple box. that is the net interest on our debt. these are things that are sort of off the table. i mean, it's -- there you go, right there. and the black box, all the other things we're talking about. including the military, transportation, schools. so that box of purple is getting bigger and bigger and bigger, meaning we have less wiggle room. so, look, the president wants an adult conversation, he says, with republicans. he wants an adult conversation about how to phase in and try to attack problems with social security, medicare, and medicaid. but clearly that box shows you they're haall in a box. >> then you had people using metaphors yesterday. but at the same time, still, a

lot of the -- the economic experts were still talking around the edges when it comes to what we're dealing with here. >> and you hear people saying we're balancing the budget on the backs of the bopoor. the president is saying that we're all impatient. that we need to come up with a plan and start moving down the road the to some fiscal discipline. markets real quickly, yesterday, were lower. futures are looking a little bit up this morning. we're watching that for you too. your morning market check. >> thank you. the parents of an american student convicted of murder in italy are facing charges of their own. amanda knox's mom and dad responding exclusively to cnn. what they said ahead. nine minutes past the hour. hey what's going on? doing the shipping. man, it would be a lot easier if we didn't have to weigh 'em all. if those boxes are under 70 lbs. you don't have to weigh 'em. with these priority mail flat rate boxes

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there's some disturbing information this morning about a brutal attack against a cbs news correspondent that happened in cairo. lara logan is recovering this morning in a u.s. hospital.

the "60 minutes" reporter was covering the story on friday, the day that president mubarak resigned when she became separated from her crew. this was the picture shot shortly before this happened. she was then surrounded by a mob, beaten, and sexually assaulted. putting the spotlight on how difficult and dangerous it is for journalists to report in a conflict zone. cbs says that a group of women and about 20 egyptian soldiers stepped in and got lara logan out of that situation. she flew home saturday and is being treated at an undisclosed location. all right. i want to turn to a story that no airline passenger wants to hear. a tsa airport screener admitting to stealing from unsuspecting travelers. this was a screener supervisor and he has admitted this. this was happening at newark international airport in new jersey. you're seeing him there, he's a supervisor. he and another co-worker targeted nonenglish-speaking passengers.

he is accused of getting some $30,000, stealing that much in more than a year and also getting kickbacks from the other employee who was also stealing. he is now facing 15 years in prison. the parents of convicted killer amanda knox are talking after they were also charged with crimes in italy. an interview you'll see only on cnn. from the beginning where questions about whether the american student got a fair trial. now the european tabloids were relentless about this story. and her mom and dad have been charged with libel. a bizarre story. a story with a lot of media attention internationally from the beginning. but then when you hear about her parents also facing charges. what's going on? >> kiran, it is a real kick in the teeth for this family, as you said, who believes their daughter, amanda knox, this 23-year-old college student was railroaded into this murder conviction, sentenced to 26 years in prison. now, so what's happened with the parents? in 2009, they gave an interview

to the "sunday times" of london in which they were reporting what amanda was telling them of her interrogation with police. that she wasn't given any food and water, didn't have an interpreter. that she was physically and emotionally abused. the police say that was libelist to them and they are now suing the parents. >> i don't know how seriously i take it, only because our focus is so much on amanda and what's happening with her appeal that this is kind of an aside thing. one more hoop we have to go through. one more thing. really? what else do you want to try to get us with. it feels very personal now. you're after our daughter, after us. >> and amanda knox's mother says she feels that the italian system is just trying to wear her down emotionally and financially. this family's mortgaged just about everything as they continue to try to get on that focus, kiran, which is to get amanda knox out of prison.

there is an appeal process going on there. they have a new judge, a new look at the forensic evidence. while all that is going on. the parents must fight this lawsuit in italy. >> so they have to go to italy to fight this. have they had recent contact with amanda? >> amanda calls. she has a ten-minute phone call every saturday morning. and there's a group that gathers around the kitchen table and listens to this ten-minute phone call. they do contact her at least once a week. one representative of the family is usually in italy. and they have some access to her. they are desperately trying to get a new trial in this or at least get the forensic evidence tossed out. but again, this is another financial drain on the family. they have to fight this because if they don't fight it, then they become somewhat subject to arrest if they ever want to go and actually visit amanda in prison. they have to go through this. >> i know they're also fighting a made for tv movie coming out along with the parents of the

girl who was murdered. it has been a nightmare for both of these families. drew griffin, thanks so much. well, it is a doomsday scenario. a deadly outbreak or terrorist attack in new york city. and yes, new york now has a manual for it. a doomsday manual. it's 16 minutes past the hour. playing ) ♪ can't help it, can't help it ♪ ♪ can't help it, no no no... ♪ come on. ♪ can't help it, can't help it, no no no ♪ ♪ you drive me crazy ♪ and i just can't stop myself, uh! ♪ ♪ can't help it, can't help it, can't help it. ♪ for just $29.99 at red lobster.

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well, it's 20 minutes past the hour now. imagine this epic disaster that strikes without warning. chaos in the streets. what can the government do legally when they're facing a doomsday scenario? >> well, you think they must have a plan for it even though most of us probably don't think about it on a daily basis. but new york does have a manual for that. jason carroll with more on this. is this something that they want out publicly? >> well, yeah. it's public information. and it's definitely out. and basically the bottom line is, a lot of your constitutional rights can basically go out the window. you know, in a worst-case scenario, a biological attack or

widespread chemical contamination, the government could close businesses, search your home without a warrant or seize your property. these are a few of the scenarios addressed in a doomsday manual recently released by the court system and bar association. the purpose of the public health legal manual is to give new york judges and lawyers guidelines for the most dire circumstances. the manual addresses some very grim scenarios. like life-saving medicine. if there isn't enough to go around, the legal system could decide to give medicine only to those with the best chance of surviving. the elderly or those already sick may be denied. take a look at quarantines. the most famous new york quarantine case was typhoid mary back in the early 1900s. a person can be isolated by law if they've been exposed to infectious diseases even against their will. and you can take a look at the destruction of the domestic animals if the family dog or cat

poses a threat by spreading disease. legally the animal can be euthanized. new yorkers obviously not short on opinions on this particular manual. >> i think it's a good thing because god forbid something does happen and then you don't have anything to fall back on. then what, you know? >> you know, i don't think anybody's rights should be taken away. >> i think it's a bit too drastic. if we were fine without it until now, so why change? >> well, the manual is not a list of new laws. instead it describes existing laws and how they could be applied to various disasters. officials say laws can be difficult to decipher and under emergency situations, time is of the essence. a representative for the new york state court says the realities that may be faced need to be addressed. often we think it's only the first responders that need to plan. the reality is that some grim legal issues need to be addressed now rather than in a state of emergency. >> just a fascinating look at the reality of that doomsday scenario.

stuff you don't think about. wow, that's interesting. >> really incredible stuff. >> appreciate you as always. a quick break. we're right back. ( woman ) even with an overactive bladder, i don't always let the worry my pipes might leak compromise what i like to do. i take care with vesicare, because i have better places to visit than just the bathroom. ( announcer ) once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle, and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks, day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions

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welcome back. new this morning. brace yourself if you think there are long lines at the airport now. think if you're one of a

billion. 1 billion passengers by 2021. to put that in perspective, last year, 712 million passengers flew in the u.s. the agency says those predictions show how vital it will be to upgrade our nation's traffic control systems. also this morning, chevron ordered to pay $8 billion by a judge in ecuador. the judge says they are guilty of polluting the rain forest. the residents of the amazon there filed the suit claiming years of crude oil pollution saying the rate of cancer and other health problems went up. chevron will appeal. if you're wondering how green are new electric cars, we've got a possible answer. according to the american council, the chevy volt barely made the list. because it can also run on gasoline. fully electric nissan leaf ranked second. and at number one, the honda civic gx. well, the conversation has started, as you know. the president submitting his budget this week. a lot of people saying it cuts too much.

others out there saying it doesn't cut quite enough. >> that's right. so this morning, we want to breakthrough all the noise. find out what the members of congress want to cut. our jim acosta live in washington. what did you find out? >> well, we had to put him on the spot, kiran and t.j. the president's budget is now in the hands of congress. there are plenty of critics up on capitol hill. but we wanted to know, do members of congress have specifics on how they would balance the nation's checkbook? we walked right up to them and asked, what would you cut zm? >> can you name a program right on the spot here? >> yeah, let's just start with the current presidential taxpayer funding system. >> reporter: that's the system that allows you to check a box on your federal tax return and divert $3 to the presidential campaign fund. that could go to trimming the deficit. >> it's at $600 million. it's a no-brainer. doesn't help the average american. most americans no longer participate in that. you said name one. let's just start.

>> we're essentially asking members of congress here a very simple question. what would you cut? >> well, i could tell you. i would -- i would cut more of the bush era tax cuts. >> you'd get rid of those? >> yes, and i'd start over. >> so cuts to budgets, so far we have the presidential election fund. and end bush tax cuts. is there one in particular you would point to and say, hey, i'd cut that one. >> yeah, i think the one we talked about as a book is npr. the corporation for public broadcasting. >> and when you hear people say what about big bird and sesame street. >> then they go out of business just like cnn would. >> where would you cut? >> i stated in the meeting that i supported curbing the special privileges to the oil industry

and the oil subsidies. this is an area where america hemorrhages every day. >> so the republicans said cut nondefense spending, the democrats said raise taxes on the wealthy. there's a pattern there. add it all up and they save taxpayers $589 billion. here's the problem, most of that money comes from ending the bush tax cuts right away, which is obviously not going to happen. remember, t.j. and kiran, congress just extended those tax cuts in december. so this is tough stuff. everybody's going to have to give up something if anybody wants to get close to balancing this budget. >> yeah, that's a good sort of look there of just how difficult it's going to be. even if everybody has a cut, doesn't mean they're all going to agree on the same cuts. and there's the rub. >> thanks, jim. coming up in less than ten minutes with the left and the right, we're going to be speaking with former republican senator judd gregg.

he was part of the deficit commission about how the two sides will be able to come together. coming up at the bottom of the here. some of the stories we're keeping a close eye on. united airlines temporarily grounding the fleet of boeing 757s. they had to do this because of an emergency maintenance check on some computer systems. these were 96 planes. we're told there were a number of cancellations yesterday. getting an update here from our allan chernoff telling us that united now saying after those cancellations, they don't anticipate a lot of cancellations today. minimal delays, as well. but that's the update from united. even though they had cancellations yesterday. right now, so far not expecting cancellations today. that would be a good thing. well, colombia's military seizing a submarine capable of smuggling nearly 8 tons of cocaine from colombia to mexico. it's a 100-foot-long narco sub. this is the first time they've

seized a drug-carrying vessel that operated completely under water. and two u.s. immigrations and customs enforcement agents were shot in mexico. one killed, one recovering from the wounds. this happened yesterday. these agents were driving between mexico city and monterey doing routine work according to the federal government when they were forced off the road, surrounded by ten people, and shot. these are the first i.c.e. agents ever shot in mexico according to the agency. well, it is the latest in designer drugs and can be bought right online or a local store. it's fake cocaine as it's been described. >> yeah, and they have the same effects of cocaine and meth. people have been hospitalized across this country for using this stuff. three states have banned it. but this is some easy stuff to get. and deb feyerick is here to explain. and also show us, clearly, right there in your hands how easy it

is to get this stuff. >> when you hear bath salts, you think you can walk into bed, bath, and beyond and pick up a 32-ounce thing. but in fact, it comes in little containers like this and looks exactly like cocaine. it is the latest designer drug and comes under a variety of name. blizzard, ivory snow, star dust, mdvp. it's a synthetic chemical marketed under the name bath salts. and several states have banned it in florida. it's even a felony to have it. this one's called bliss. it's 500 milligrams. people have taken as little has 10 milligrams and had really bad reactions to it. hallucinations, suicidal impulses. basically took us less than two minutes to order this fake cocaine. >> reporter: but demand is so high, the seller calls to say it's sold out. instead, we'll get something

called serenity now. >> on a scale of one to ten, how scary is this would you say? >> i'd say 15. >> reporter: after it arrives, we open one of the small vials in front of gary bogs. >> looks like cocaine. >> i don't know anybody who buys bath salts in a quarter gram. there's no back street alley ways, you just google it. you googled your drug dealer and got it to your own home with a credit card. >> reporter: the package doesn't say how much is in it or how much to take. >> it may not be the same way it affects me. you could take it one day and be fine and the next day have a different response. >> how big is the threat? the danger? >> you don't know what you're buying or putting in your body. the long-term effects of these drugs can be very dangerous. >> so technically, i'm holding a jar of poison. and somebody could very well ingest this. >> that's exactly right.

>> now, parents need to your about this because it doesn't show up in standard drug tests and it does act like meth. it basically kills the affect to feel any pleasure. all you want is more of this. we went to youtube, googled methidrone. one man was moving uncontrollably almost as if he was possessed. and just the moving and the raw energy. it was quite scary, actually, to watch this. because you see somebody who is completely unable to control their own bodies. >> how quickly are states, the federal government, going to be able to move on this stuff? >> well, if they wait for the fda to step in, do the tests, it could take months. congress could step in and say, this is bad. but florida, for example, they outlawed it just in time for spring break. they just didn't want this on the shelves in gas stations or tobacco shops or anywhere where young people could get their hands on it. >> just to be clear, there's no

other use for this? this is not sold as plant feed and not sold as bath salts? >> no, it is not. this has no effective purpose, no medicinal purpose. they say it's a research chemical, but no use for it. people who want to get high, they can go use it, but you are playing russian roulette. those were the words the special agent used. >> that's scary. deb feyerick, thank you for that this morning. coming up, it is not just an urban myth. people do, in fact, have sidewalk rage. >> i've seen it. we live in new york, we've seen it. we're going to talk more about that. also, more leadership needed when it comes to tackling the nation's debt. judd gregg joins us live to weigh in. 35 minutes past the hour. [ male announcer ] how do you stop tacos falling over? [ speaking spanish ] ♪ [ male announcer ] old el paso stand 'n stuff taco shells.

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for every generation at aarp.org. 30 minutes past the hour. just getting word that borders bookstores is filing now for chapter 11 bankruptcy. our christine romans has been telling us about this the past few days. they tried to do all they could to head off this move. trying to close stores, cut back on jobs, but looks like they weren't able to avoid this bankruptcy. this is the number two bookstore chain in this country based in ann arbor, michigan.

they have filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. we'll be along with much more on what this means now. this morning, we're also getting a closer look at the republican proposal to slash government spending by $61 billion. but like the president's budget plan that was out this week, it doesn't touch the biggest ticket items. including programs like medicare, medicaid, and social security. those so-called entitlement programs. judd gregg is a former republican senator from new hampshire and also a former chairman of the senate budget committee. he also served on president obama's deficit commission, which issued a plan to deal with those big issues. he's one of the people who sounded the alarm about addressing those costly programs. and he's in manchester, new hampshire, this morning. thank you so much for joining us. >> thanks for having me on. i appreciate it. >> we're glad to get your take on this. we had the president who laid out his blueprint, the gop plan vastly different. calling for about $61 billion to cuts to domestic programs this year alone. when you know from experience having a front seat at that,

vastly different plans, how do they come together? >> well, it doesn't really matter if they come together, because neither of them address the fundamental problem. it's sort of like how many discretionary cuts can dance on the head of a pin argument. there's no way to get to the bottom line of moving our deficit and debt down no matter how much you cut it. >> i do want to ask you about the entitlements. that is going to be big, but $61 billion in domestic program cuts? that's the gop -- the house gop proposal. isn't that in some ways, at least, much more significant in terms of cuts? >> it is. it's a very significant, discretionary reduction. and if you -- and discretionary spending does compound in the sense that when it's spent, it becomes part of the baseline. and then the next year, that baseline is built on again. so it is a positive step. the it's just not going to get us to where we need to go. now, the president has said he's

going to veto that number. it would have to get through the senate first and it's controlled but the democratic party. there's clearly going to be some compromise on that number. but hopefully it will be a significant number, closer to 61 billion than zero obviously. much closer, hopefully. >> you're saying that in a way is a nonstarter and they're really not tackling the issue of entitlement reform. remind again -- >> well, here's my -- >> remind the viewers again watching, what the commission recommended in tackling this. and why this has to be on the table. >> let's put it into context. the president set up a budget where he said he's going to reduce the deficits over the next ten years by $1 trillion. of course, the deficits over those ten years are going to be about $7 trillion to $8 trillion. it's not going to significant impact the explosion in debt, which is our biggest problem. the commission on the other hand, proposed reducing the deficit by $4 trillion over that

same period or four times what the president is proposing. and it did it by very aggressive action. not only on the discretionary side, where they suggested more significant savings than what the president has proposed, but also on the entitlement side which is where most of the spending occurs. 60% of federal spending is entitlement spending, only 50% is nondiscretionary. if you're going to fix the deficit problems, you've got to go where the money is, and that's in the entitlement accounts. >> what are some of the viable options that this president, you know -- it's being reported there are going to be some meetings -- behind the scenes meetings with the gop to gauge the temperature for trying to do this politically unpopular thing. what would be some of the first steps they could do that would make a difference? >> well, they could just -- well, the first step they could do, they already have a memo or template for $4 trillion in

savings, which was a bipartisan proposal that had the -- well, there were three republican senators, all of us conservatives who voted for it, including tom coburn. and kent conrad, one of the more responsible voices in the congress on the issue of fiscal responsibility voting for it. so you already have a package of proposals that if the president would embrace them and lead on them and say, okay, simpson/bowles may not be perfect, but it's a place to start. obviously the one that's easiest to do is social security. there are only four or five moving parts to social security. if you wanted to fix it, you could do it tomorrow, make it solvent for the next 75 years. and that could be done by the president, john boehner, and republican senate member sitting down in the room such as dick durbin and john kyl and working out the specifics. >> raising the retirement age

basically, right? >> well, the retirement age proposal is almost marginal to the action. because what the retirement -- you know, it gets a lot of flak. but what they proposed was that by 60 years from now, the retirement age would go to 69. there's hardly anyone born today impacted by that as a percentage of the population. it wasn't a radical event. the key savings you have to do in social security deal with what's known as a means testing or bens points. and how you calculate to make it more reflective of what seniors spend versus the general population. and there's no reason you can't do it. there's in reason you can't do this. it takes political will, leadership, and honestly the leadership has to come from the president. that's why he's president. he's supposed to be leading. >> i know you feel very passionate about this issue, as do a lot of other people. they say this is the beginning and maybe we'll see other changes. >> thad be great.

>> thanks for joining us this morning. >> thank you, kiran. >> t.j.? well, kiran, to our viewers. are you enjoying that spring-like weather? don't get used to it. rob marciano up next. it's quarter till the top of the hour here on this "american morning."

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just into cnn. some surprising news from the cycling world. lance armstrong calling it quits. officially retiring from the professional circuit. saying he wants to spend more time with his family and also to dedicate himself even more to the fight against cancer with his live strong charity. all right. 13 minutes until the top of the hour now. let's turn to our rob marciano. some places in the country feeling spring-like. >> yes. >> can we go ahead and get comfortable? >> for the time being. we're not even to march yet. so i wouldn't break out the cut-off jeans you've got there, t.j. definitely bring the rain gear if you live out west.

so even though the eastern 2/3 almost 3/4 of the country is enjoying a nice warm-up. and quiet weather as opposed to what we saw last week. what we're seeing across the west coast is opposite. that's where all the action is from the mexico border to the canadian border. i-5 is pretty much a mess. wet at times, snowy at times, driven by a powerful jet stream and disturbances pounding the coast. certainly significant snowfall in the mountains of the cascades. couple more feet, potentially. over to the wasatch, getting into the rocky mountains. and then eventually getting into the plains. before that, we have this big ridge. there's some cloudiness out there. kind of what we call a dirty ridge. not really that clean, blue sky you typically see with a strong warm-up. it's warming up. and temperatures today, going to be a lot warmer than they were yesterday, especially across the northeast. 70 degrees for a record high temperature. garden city, kansas, rapid city,

south dakota, 67. even billings with a record high of 62 degrees. in dallas, it'll be 66 degrees. 72 in memphis, and warming up to 46 degrees in new york city. tomorrow's high temperatures will be even warmer than that. 69 expected in d.c., hit 70 a couple of days ago. may do it again tomorrow. and yesterday you were in the 30s, and a seesaw pattern for the northeast and guess what? it continues. the weekend we'll give you another shot to remind you that winter's still here. we're still in the middle of february. 61 and 69 degrees, that's a little bit nutty. >> it's been a nutty winter. what are you going to do? squirrels are happy. thanks, rob. >> thanks, rob. coming up in a few minutes. some of the top stories we're keeping an eye on today. including some of those parties you've been hearing about with the italian prime minister

silvio berlusconi. also cliff lee, the biggest prize of the baseball off season reporting to spring training for the phillies. and that cost one reporter his pants. do you remember who was on our show? he said he'd wear a speedo if this happened? we're going to have more coming up. [ robin ] my name is robin.

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8 minutes to the top of the hour here. road rage. you hear about that a lot. but another kind of rage you don't need a car for. this is sidewalk rage. you can kind of put together what we're talking about here but apparently people become enraged when someone is walking in front of them too slowly. >> i feel like this is a city thing and perhaps even more so a new york city thing. in most towns in the world there is enough room on the sidewalk for everybody, but yet they say angry thoughts having cut off slow walkers staring at them and glaring at them and bumping into them in extreme cases. and it's known as intermittent explosive disorder.

>> that sounds serious versus just walking or slow walking rage or sidewalk rage. but, yes, i have seen this. i've been the victim of this more than so than anything. really it takes an adjustment to get around up here and trying to get around and navigate the streets of new york. i'm just enjoying my day. >> people don't like that. they are late. i never understand if you're walking down the street, i don't understand why you wouldn't step out of the way for a woman or an elderly person but people don't care and mow you right down. >> i'm learning. >> once they bring the strollers in, you're in trouble. a new suggest link between early baldness and prostate cancer. french researchers found men losing their hair in their 20s were likely to develop prostate cancer. they do know men who go bald have high levels of a form of testosterone that could be linked to prot state cancer.

study suggests when it comes to prostate cancer, less may be more. >> senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen has details. what did this study find? >> they found a lot of men may be operating under misconceptions. a lot of men think you need to get prostate screening every single -- for some men, for many men that is not true. what this one study found if you get a prostate screening test called a psa test and it is under 3, you may not need annual screening. in fact, you may be able to wait several years before your next screening. i can't emphasize enough how importance it is for patients to talk to their doctors because each man is different, each man is going to make a different decision. kiran, t.j.? >> is it a simple blood test? why not check it every year if that is all it is? >> people ask that, why not just do it? the reason why, the test isn't

perfect. the test may seem to indicate you've got a problem when you really don't and then you may think, oh, boy, i've got to go get treated and that treatment could leave a men impotent. it would be slow growing and a minor problem that he would be better off not doing anything. in prostate cancer the treatment is sometimes way worse than the cancer. >> i want to bring this back. we hear so much about when to get screened and when not. another study telling us something else. right now, men who are concerned, we hear you're supposed to get an annual screening once a year. with this new information have they changed how they are going to advise when men get these tests, the different screenings versus the psa? what should we do now? >> what is strange about this is so many men think what you just said we are supposed to get annual screening and they actually not. the reason for this is prostate cancer grows really, really slowly. you might not want to know that

you have it because, again, if you find out you have it, you may jump ahead and get treatment when you would have been better off doing nothing. i know it sounds crazy. cancer, do nothing? but for prostate cancer, sometimes that is the best decision. number one, talk to your doctor. number two, go to cnn.com/empowered -- patient. we asked doctors do you get screened every year, every five years or not screened at all? we wanted to hear from the doctors what they do for their own prostates and i think it will give you insight how to have that discussion with your doctor. >> elizabeth cohen, thanks so much. >> thanks. a quick break. sweet & salty nut bars... they're made from whole roasted nuts and dipped in creamy peanut butter, making your craving for a sweet & salty bar irresistible, by nature valley. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 if you could use any atm, at any bank, tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 anywhere in the world...

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good morning to you all. welcome to this "american morning." wednesday, february 16th, i'm t.j. holmes. >> i'm kiran chetry. a lot to talk about this morning. first, united's friendly skies may ab little less so this morning. the airline temporarily grounding its entire fleet of boeing 757s, a total of 96 planes, for emergency maintenance for the on-board computer system. united says it is now expecting minimal delays today and no cancellations. italian prime minister silvio berlusconi is faiting indictment and trial for allegedly having sex with an underaged prostitute. now a woman who partied with the prime minister is speaking to cnn exclusively. you will hear what she has to

say about their affectionate relationship. >> also this morning, the u.s. is watching closely what is happening in bahrain. a strategic u.s. ally. protests have broken out there over the past several days. this is the home of the navy's mighty fifth fleet. two demonstrators have been killed this week by security forces. bahrain's king came out in a rare nationally televised address and said he is promising now a government investigation into those deaths and also promising to deliver on some reforms in the country. those involved, he says, are -- in those deaths are in custody. latest now a brutal attack against a cbs news correspondent in cairo. lara logan is in a u.s. hospital this morning. the "60 minutes" reporter was covering celebrations in tahrir square on friday, the day when

president mubarak resigned when she was attacked and sexually attacked. cbs released a statement saying in the crush of the mob she was separated from her crew and surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 egyptian soldiers. we're going to talk more about the ramifications of that assault and the dangers for women reporting in a conflict zone with judith matloff, a professor of the columbia graduate school of journalist and has known lara logan for 20 years. united having to ground its entire fleet of boeing 757s, about 96 planes that had to do emergency maintenance checks that were need odd a computer system. this was to imply with federal regulations, but this was supposed to be done years ago. there were some delays but they are expecting minimal flight

cancellations today, if any, after a few flight cancellations yesterday. a scheme at a new jersey airport unravels. a tsa agent admits to stealing thousands of dollars from passengers bags. he says he and a coworker targeted foreign women pulling aside for extra searches. the coworker then pocketed cash found in their carry-ons all the while arado looked the other way. 30,000 dlas were taken in the course of the year. the two were busted in october. he is now facing 15 years in prison. to california now, where the governor there has put in place a hiring freeze. governor jerry brown did this yesterday. expected to save some $360 million. you may know california has a huge budget deficit $25 billion that they are trying to make up out there. the governor's budget calls for 12.5 billion in spending cuts but he also wants to extend tax increases that were scheduled to

expire this year. president obama says he is open to bipartisan talks when it comes to tackling america's fiscal future but republicans are proposing cuts to popular programs among liberals and sets the stage for a battle, the president says, he'd like to avoid. >> my hope is that what is different this time is we have an adult conversation where everybody says here is what -- here's what's important, and here's how we're going to pay for it. >> republicans will not punt. we will -- everything is on the table and we will put forward a budget that deals with the big challenges that face our country. >> today, president obama and vice president joe biden meet with senate democrats to discuss the budget proposal. are you ready to make the tough choices when it comes to reducing the deficits? here is a poll giving us insights what americans are thinking. this comes from cbs news/"the

new york times" new poll out. 49% say it would be necessary to cut programs that actually benefit them. 41%, though, are saying no. he keeps denying but there is still a lot of buzz about a possible presidential run by chris christie. he will be in washington today giving a big speech this afternoon at the american enterprise institute and talking about fiscal responsibility in government. he drew 6% of the vote in the straw poll that they took at the conservative cpac gathering over the weekend, even though he was not there. it's a big first day on the job today. nothing like your first day. you remember it it. jay carney has a heck of a first day on the job today. he going to be meeting the press. he is taking over for robert gibbs at the podium in the white house briefing room. he is the new spokesperson' he will be holding his very first briefing today. >> good for him. we will see what happens. lance armstrong calling it quits.

his last day on the job, i guess you could say. the seven-time winner of the tour de france officially retiring from the professional cycling circuit and he says he wants to spend more time with his family and dedicate himself to his cancer charity "live strong." rob marciano with an eye on the weather across the country. it's been nice the last couple of days. >> it has and be nice for some people. the storminess has shifted out west. the past couple of days the west coast is getting peppered and stretching all the way down to the mexican border. a lot of strong energy here. cold air as well. snow levels are lowering and probably see snow from seattle to portland. san francisco just socked in as far as the rain goes. it's now down to los angeles and san diego. the snow totals will be pretty remarkable and pretty impressive so far. this is great. california has been fairly dry for the past, i don't know, month, month and a half.

this rain and sno is a good thing. meanwhile, back at the ranch, record high temperatures are occurring across the central and northern plains. warm air continues to build and build towards the northeast. you'll be warmer today in new york than you were yesterday by about 10, 15 degrees. same deal in d.c. then looking into tomorrow, you'll be another 10 to 15 degrees warmer than that. but do not get used to it, my friends, because it is still february and this weekend, another cool push of air comes in to remind you just that. t.j., kiran, back up to you. >> we will take the warm-up while we can get it. she was told to stay off the tacos. that's a little harsh. she wanted to be a beauty queen. police san antonio is going to court now to keep her crown. also this morning it is a sophisticated submarine but this does not along to the u.s. navy. this one was used to carry drugs. we will tell you more about it this morning. 7 minutes past the hour on this "american morning." [ wind howling ]

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10 minutes past the hour now on this "american morning." somali pirate is going to be sentenced in new york today. he admitted to hijacking the mersc back in twine. you remember the dramatic rescue

of the captain of ship. three other pirates were killed by navy s.e.a.l.s. during that capture. you may remember drew peterson, a former cop who has been in jail since may of 2009. his murder trial is on hold now over hearsay evidence and wondering whether or not they will get statements from his former wives, some statements about him that his former wives made. he is accused of killing his third wife in 2004 who was found dead in her bathtub. he is also under the suspicion of the disappearance of his fourth wooif who was also missing and presumed dead. now to the battle for the crown. it's head to go court. this is in texas where 17-year-old dominique ramirez was stripped of her miss san antonio crown. she claims that the pageant board president told her to lose 13 pounds and said, i'm quoting here, get off the tacos.

pageant officials say she broke several other rules, however, and was late to appearances. she could lose her chance to be miss texas and then possibly to be miss america. she says she is still the same weight. kiran? >> thanks. thousands danced in tahrir square last friday, the pictures beamed across the world of egyptians celebrating resignation of hosni mubarak. a barbaric attack was unfold. cbs news correspondent lara logan was separated from her crew and security and ended up being surrounded by a mob. this was the picket taken moments before she was attacked suffering what the network describes as a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating. that assault shows just how vulnerable particularly female reports can be in both hostile and friendly environments. many attacks against them also do go unreported. joining us to talk more about this is judith matlff, a professor of the columbia

university. you were a news correspondent for years and now you train. you have known lara logan for 20 years. >> right. >> this was shocking to hear this happened yesterday, especially knowing she had been at some of the most dangerous parts of the uprising, flew back and came back for that, quote, celebration in tahrir square when this assault on her happened. >> it was pretty appalling and i think what was particularly shock to me is somebody who knows lara who has been in the industry she is about as savvy as you can get. and it just goes to show that no matter how prepared you are, no matter how experienced you are, terrible things can happen. >> we watched the video of others attacked. there was a close call for one of our other reporters who almost got caught up a mob. we saw anderson cooper and many other atabbed and heckled and harassed. in this particular situation to talk about a sustained sexual assault happening on a reporter

who was there, this is something that, unfortunately, you're much more vulnerable to as a female correspondent. >> it's an occupational hazard and i think if you will sit down with a bunch of female foreign correspondents who cover conflicts over the bar in the evening, most of them will probably tell you this is a woman's worst nightmare. i've had colleagues have gone so far to say they would rather be killed than to have something like this happen. let's look at the positive of this. the one positive thing is that lara is very, very brave in being open about what happened to her and i think it's going to blow the silence. because this is not an isolated incident. this sort of thing happens far more frequently than editors realize but people don't talk about it. >> that is the fear of not getting signed again. saying, listen, i shouldn't have sent a woman there anyway. this is dangerous stuff and then if you're going to, you know, be subjected to, you know, potential, i mean, there are

also legal ramifications to this, right? companies want to protect shemselves so they are fearful they will not be sent out again to these stories. >> exactly. it's interesting about a month ago, i received a telephone call from a very frightened woman from a major american magazine who does not want to be revealed and she suffered nothing like this but she had been sexually harassed quite uncomfortably and seriously in haiti and she called me for advice about how to deal with her editors because her editor's attitude was you shouldn't go back into the field again, you're not prepared so. in other words, they put the blame on the correspondent rather than just accepting this is a problem that faces women. women know what they are getting themselves into. >> do they? >> i think most women -- >> so much competition in this business, in this industry. if your job you're a foreign correspondent this is where you're going and you're going to places that people are trying to flee. and so, you know, do you really have control of what you're getting yourself into? >> you don't have control, but i think you are aware that it

could happen. just like, for instance, our colleague who we also knew from south africa who lost his legs in a land mine, you know when you cover conflict that these are the risks. you hope to god it's never going to happen to you but you know that it could happen and there are precautions that one can take. but certainly in this case with lara, i don't think there is anything she could have done when a mob erupts. you're stuck in it. >> what, if anything? you said there may be a positive side to this in terms of what just transparency and what about the reaction? when she goes back to work and others go back to work how is this best handled? >> i hope it's handled delicately. i must say i was fairly horrified by some comments from not cbs but other organizations, things that people had tweeted or put in e-mails. there was some shockingly sexist things that some colleagues had said, including a fellow that said new york university. >> about what? about her?

>> about her. things like, well, she was a war mongerer, she had it coming or i'm not very sympathetic. pretty horrific comments. i'm sure she has to field some of that and awkward for her when she goes back into the newsroom and people will be looking at her and imagining her in the situation of greatest shame. >> i want to say to that because she talked. this is eery to see it now. she says i feel a sense of failure when she had to leave the story and come back to the united states. professional i feel like i didn't deliver and i take that responsibility very seriously. fundamentally, it's in my blood to be there on the street listening to people doing the best reporting i can. and then we hear about this. >> yeah. i mean, she is very courageous and very committed journalist and fulfilling her mission and i would suspect -- i am not her and not in her position. who knows what is going through

her head at the moment but i imagine knowing lara she will get back on the horse and ride again. she will not let this stop her. it was not her fault it happened in any way and i presume the news executives see it at such. this could have happened to anybody. >> she is certainly in everybody's thoughts and prayers. judith matloff, thank you for joining me this morning. >> thank you. coming up bernie modernoff breaking his silence in a jailhouse interview and saying others knew what he was up to but chose to look the other way. christine romans with the story in a moment. the nfl is upping their offer in seat gates. now all of those who missed out on the super bowl have another option to consider. it's 18 minutes past the hour on this "american morning." d switco really save you 15% more on car insurance? host: does it take two to tango? ♪

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the best. the case of the underdog literally that came out on top. westmiter dog show, best in show a huge deal. the big top prize. here is who got it.

>> best in show is the deerhound. >> the deerhound! >> that's right! the deerhound. they were all excited at the westminster dog show because they made history. hickory, the scottish deerhound crowned best in show was the first time a scottish deerhound has gotten this prize. big surprise. 5-year-old female and first of her rare breed to take that coveted title. i love how they are still brushing her even on the winner's stand. hickory outshined more than 2,000 other dogs. congratulations. the showdown between man and machine on "jeopardy." ibm computer watson going up against two of the best all-time "jeopardy" champs. yesterday was day two and watson is way ahead of his challengers by nearly $25,000, but in the

final category, the final "jeopardy" question a little bit of a hiccup here for watson. the question was about u.s. cities and it said what city had its largest airport named for a world war ii hee ron and a second one named for a world war ii battle? watson, let's hear your answer. >> and the response was? what is toronto? with a lot of question marks. which means, of course that watson had many, many doubts and the wager, how much are you going to lose? oh, you sneak! 947. >> so a bit of a hiccup there but still the computer was smart enough not to wager a lot of money. the other two did get the answer right. chicago. the final match airs tonight but trying to work out sinks there but the category is u.s. cities and he picked toronto. >> he still, what, $20,000 ahead of the other two so he is doing all right.

a technical driver said his fate helped him do the right thing after he found $100,000 worth of jewelry and cash in the back of his cash. mohammed had just dropped off john lewis and helping another passenger in his car when he found a bag filled with jewelry, cash and photos sitting in the back seat. a credit card receipt helped him reconnect with lewis and return his valuables. >> he was so happy and he offered me a reward and i told him, i don't want reward. it's my job to do it. >> he said he reluctantly did accept that $1,000 reward from lewis. lewis insisted he take it because of his honesty. can you imagine how happy you would be to get that phone call? >> to know it's coming back is a big deal. >> leaving that in a cab. >> need to get that cabbie's cell phone number! it's the only cab i want to take in new york the rest of the time here. >> he's a great guy. super bowl seat gate we keep

calling it here. the nfl offering the fans a new option. some 400 whose seats were not ready for the super bowl and they couldn't get in. they have the option of $5,000 cash or reimbursement for documented super bowl expenses whichever is higher. >> keep waiting! >> don't take it yet. they were offered other options. $2,400 plus a ticket to next year's super bowl or a ticket to a future super bowl with round trip air fare and hotel recommendations. >> 'cha are you picking? >> lawsuit. i'm going with the lawsuit. >> you're still suing. a man of his word. time for pitchers and catchers in florida -- okay, the mets beat writer andy martino showed up. he said he would do it in a

speedo. one we gave him. we told him he had to wear it on without the jeans. he tweeted he would wear a speedo to spring training if cliff lee signed with the philli phillies. he is in clearwater with the phils and there he spp he wore it. he is a man of his word. andy, good job. looks nice on you. >> i don't mind he did it over the jeans. >> that was easier on the eyes for most of the guys, right? also coming up on this "american morning," silvio burr loe berlusconi facing charges with having sex with a prostitute. one of his acquaintances, shall we say, talking with us exclusively. you will hear about their relationship coming up. - ( clinks ) - ( whispers ) we're breaking out. let's go. hmm? i'll get the dodo. - ( all yelling ) - scandalous. - ( alarm blaring ) - warden, two boys going for a stroll. - release the hounds. - ( dogs panting )

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with highly-trained tech experts and expanded tech centers, staples makes finding the right technology just the way you want it. easy. easy to buy. easy to fix. easy to save. staples. that was easy. 28 minutes past the hour on this "american morning." borders filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy. christine romans is "minding your business" this morning. we kind of saw this coming. >> it's official. look. this is a company borders has not been able to compete with a changing book-selling business. you have all of these online book sellers and all of these new ereaders. books have been sold the same

way for a couple of hundred years and things are changing the past few years quickly. borders announced they are filing for bankruptcy. google is downloading all kinds of older books to make them available online. apple sells books and all of these different areas to sell books. borders is shutting roughly 200 underperforming stores and struggling to compete with the internet only retailers. borders now will operate under the protection of the court while it tries to restructure and come out the other end. >> do we know how many jobs we're talking about? >> we do not but a bankruptcy is very difficult and always means job losses. >> interesting that they couldn't pivot more with the ebooks and all of that. >> others have. obviously, their opportunities have been lost and if you file for bankruptcy that means you failed to grab the very changing -- a very changing macro economic situation in the book business. >> turn to the ponzi schemer himself. >> bernie. >> speaking from jail now.

to tell the truth to us all. >> how does anybody know bernie madoff is telling the truth? he is a schemer and who knows. maybe a sociopath. i'm just saying. he robbed a lot of people for a very long time and either deceived his family or disappointed for sure. bernie madoff talking to a "the new york times" reporter writing a book called "wizard of lies." if you want to believe what he says now, be my guest. he talks about the banks looked the other way or even worse, this is what he says. they had to know. attitude was sort of if you're doing something wrong, we don't want to know. that is what he says about the banks and the big hedge funds and the legitimate people who invested with him. but he also says that the banks and the funds were complicit.

and jpmorgan chase spokesperson says the following. when they let with him last tuesday he looked thinner and as you would imagine. here's a guy who even in prison she said had a laser-like focus around the other people around him and how people must have known and all of that. and said fred wilpon, the owner of the mets, did not know and that organization is going through some upheaval. united airlines temporarily grounding its entire fleet of 757 jets. why? for long oversue maintenance checks on its computer systems. if you're flying united, you could expect some delays. there were some cancellations because of this yesterday, but

the airline does not expect any cancellations today. a submarine smuggling as much as eight tons of cocaine out of the country. the sub is fully submersible. authorities say it is able to travel from colombia to mexico without surfacing. lance armstrong is calling it quit. seven-time winner of the tour de france has officially retired from the professional cycling circuit now. he wants to spend more time with his five children and dedicate himself more to his cancer foundation live strong charity. one of the women who partied with the italian prime minister is speaking exclusively to cnn. nicole manetti paints a different picture with the parties she attended with burr loess co

-- berlusconi. >> she is also charged with providing girls with berlusconi that she denies. dan rivers is joining us live in milan this morning. good morning to you. >> good morning. >> reporter: good morning. nicole's first tv interview flatly denying she was, in any way pimpling for sill ve yo berlusconi who has just been indicted for paying for sex with an underage prostitute, something that berlusconi and manetti say is completely untrue and put a different spin on the suggestion that the parties that sill vio berlusconi. you deny receiving any money from berlusconi? >> he helped me in some situations. he doesn't have any problems

helping people even in an economic way. >> reporter: how much money did he give you? >> that's a detail which i wouldn't go into. >> reporter: but thousands of euros? >> it doesn't matter. that's not the -- that's not the matter. >> reporter: well, some people say it does matter because it would suggest that was either paying for your services or paying to keep you quiet. >> or he was helping me just because he cared for me. it could be one thing or the other. >> reporter: how would you describe your relationship with the prime minister? >> i had an affectionate relationship which means someone you care for and cares for. >> reporter: but not a sexual relationship? >> i wouldn't go into those details. those are private details. private details. >> reporter: many people here wondering if an affectionate relationship means more than that. she was not wanting to go into

exactly her relationship with the prime minister. silvio ber loess coney came out here in italy and this is what he had to say. >> translator: i can say i'm not worried at all. >> reporter: he is basically come out flatly denying, you know, that he is concerned about this indictment. he, in the past, he has come out angrily denying he has paid any prostitutes for sex, that there were any sort of, you know, orgies at his house or some of the lurik newspaper headlines have suggested. the thing going against him is the massive weight of amount of evidence presented by prosecutors including wiretap transcripts which paint a different picture one in which silvio berlusconi surrounded himself with prostitutes at his house and scantily clad women

and suggestions of cash prizes to keep people quiet. all of which he denies and it is what the prosecutors are saying and it will go to court in april. >> dan, thank you so much. up next, a couple who triggered headlines and heartbreak after they say they received the wrong information at an embryo clinic. they say they couldn't do it because the child was planted in the wrong womb. it's two years to the day they found this out. they are joining us to talk about how they have gotten through this. they wrote a new book "inconceivable." we will be joined by carol and john savage coming up.

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what happened is an unthinkable lab mix-up. a woman from ohio wanted to have a baby after four miscarriages and implanted with an embryo that belonged to another couple. the couple decided to carry the baby to term and hand logan over to his genetic parents.

they have a book "inconceivable." carolyn and sean savage join me this morning. welcome and thanks for being with us. >> thank you so much for having us with us. >> i talked to you when you were 35 weeks pregnant and you call inconceivable. it's inconceivable it would happen but also the bravery it took for you guys to decide to do what you did. what has happened since we last connected? >> i think we talked to you on the 22nd and i had him two days later. so, obviously, we welcomed him into the world and a very miraculous childbirth. as we kind of navigated the aftermath of that, we decided that it was important to us to document our love for him and so we decided to write this book, if nothing else, i just hope someday he picks this book up

and reads it and realizes that he is a gift to us, a blessing to us, and that he knows that his life is extremely purposeful. >> we also learned so much about navigating a traumatic experience and that we had so many pitfalls and difficult challenges. it challenged our marriage. >> yeah. >> it challenged everything about our life. >> why did it challenge your marriage? when i was reading the book it sounded like you guys were very much on the same page. we were encouraged actually by fertility doctor right to terminate when they had called you and they find out early whether you're pregnant or not and they thought this has to be too much for somebody to go through. but you both were really in lock-step about that decision. >> we didn't disagree on the big issues. we have a strong belief in life. we have a strong belief in delivering this child to the other family, but when you're in a day-to-day trauma and challenged, it just creates a

very difficult position day in and day out and we believe that by sharing how we got through it -- we used therapy, we received wonderful lessons along the way through therapy -- that at the end of the day, i think a lot of folks can take something out of this to apply to their life on how to face challenges and get through it. we live by faith. we live by love and it triumphed at the end but there were some ugly parts. >> the beginning of that was the phone call you received saying there has been a terrible mix-up. first of all, it's one of the worst nightmares is dealing with this infertility issue and the heartbreak of miscarriages you suffered and the grueling process and to know that this embryo took and not to have it be yours. just walk us through what that was like. >> it was not a grace-filled moment. you never really know how you're going to react when bad news comes your way until it comes your way. i will say the first 15 minutes or so, we were pretty

hysterical, i guess. and then the reality starts to sink in and we start to say, hey, we got to do something. what are we going to do? that's when i think when you're faced with those moments, i think that is when a person falls back on their central core beliefs and, for us, that meant doing unto others as you would want them to undo to you. if it had been our baby inside somebody else, we would have been on our knees. please let this child live. >> how great were the genetic parents grateful to you? >> incredibly grateful. it was a gift to them. in the end, we're stronger for having gone through this. that call came two years ago today. our lives will never be the same. but i think we are better people for it. >> you have three other children. >> we do. >> and how did they deal with all of this? just the basics like you're shopping in the grocery store and someone says congratulations on your baby. every minute.

i mean, your kids are living that as well. >> yeah. i think children handle very difficult situations based off of how the parents handle it so we try to create an environment where we weren't in the corner balled up crying and tried to continue their lives the way they should be and continue their events. i think that is another take-away that people can learn in difficult situations if parents can handle it in an even keeled manner as best they can, that children will feed off of that. >> lastly, you guys wanted to bring this up because this is a very big moral issue. you are upset your local diocese issued by in vitro saying it's not morally acceptable in the first place. >> it hurt. that article was posted the day that logan came into the world and it hurt because we tried to walk our faith through this entire process. >> yeah. >> we have a strong belief system and we tried to value life and, you know, we wish that that was also part of it, but we

understand where the church is on this and, you know, if there is dialogue in the future, we certainly would welcome it but we believe in what we did and our local parish was extremely supportive and very good and they wrapped their arms around us so we were very grateful for that. >> i'm glad you both came out stronger in the end. it's an unimaginable nightmare/journey for you. good you are able to keep in touch with logan and his family. thank you both for joining us. >> thank you for having us. >> we will be right back. from knowing when my next job will be to what i'll actually be doing. so in the rest of my life i like control. especially in my finances. that's why i have slate with blueprint. i can make a plan to pay off everyday things and avoid interest, or pay down my balance faster on the big stuff. that saves money. with slate from chase, i have everything under control... ♪ ...financially.

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♪ good morning. motor city this morning. good folks in detroit, michigan. a high today of 43 today. >> that's nice music, isn't it? a little mellow this morning. we're in for a warm-up in many parts of the country and rob marciano is keeping track of it

for us. are you jamming down there in atlanta? >> david greg has a spring feel for it. i like that in the motor city. not springy across the west coast where the action is. continued storms infiltrating the west coast and now gone from the northwest down to the mexican border. this is a strong system and has a decent amount of rain, wind and snow and the rain to san diego and getting into los angeles and san francisco getting rain as well and above 3,000 or 4,000 feet. turning into snow and some heavy at times. this is going to continue, for the most part, through the weekend. so it's beneficial rain and snow. california hasn't done a lot the last month as far as action goes so they will take it as far as the water supply. see 2 to 5 feet across the sierras and 1 to 2 feet in the wasatch and blizzard warnings posted for parts of southern colorado with this system. a lot of jet stream energy as well. you go east of the continental

divide and it's pretty quiet. warmth building across the central plains. record high temperatures sterday across the board. 70 in garden city, kansas. rapid city, 67 and north platte 67 and billings, montana, a high of 62. the warm is built up towards the north. 76 in d.c. and 46 in new york. a little bit warmer than you were yesterday. warmer still tomorrow. high temperature of 61 degrees. but don't get used to it because over the weekend you'll get another pulse of cold air. that see saw pattern you're in. remind you it's still winter. check out this sweet shot during the -- in between periods at the indiana ice. minor league hockey team in indianapolis. all the way from the other net through a six-inch goal! this is one of these guys they just pull him out of the stands and say, go for it. he is supposed to win $50,000. but the insurance company that is going to pay the 50 grand

reneged on it and saying he's not within their boundaries. >> you're kidding? >> that is appalling! you cannot renege on that! that is amazing. >> how lame is that? >> the ball club itself said we're going to give you the 50 grand. the fan says i'm going to give it to charity. how about doing the right thing right there? >> i'm still upset with the insurance company. >> last break, you wanted to sue somebody for something, too. >> yeah! i'm in that mood this morning! >> that does make the insurance company look bad. the league is ponying up and he is going to donate for charity and they are saying he is over a line. wow! >> we are not done with this one, rob. thanks. you think about opening up a winery? you're probably not thinking about doing it in the desert but we will show you how one couple took a gamble and made it work. 51 minutes past the hour.

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♪ don't be a baby remember what you told me shut up and put your money where your mouth is ♪ ♪ that's what you get for waking up in vegas ♪ all right. first thing you think of when you hear nevada is nevada, the desert but not the wine business. >> not hugely. >> they are drinking it but maybe you're not growing the grapes. >> one couple took a chance and started growing grapes. yes, about 60 miles from death valley. helped put a town on the map and it's tom foreman's "building up america" report today. >> reporter: a few years ago, there was little reason for anyone to visit the small winery in the town of pahrump, nevada. then bill logan, a real estate agent, and his wife gretchen, a teacher, and both from arizona, showed up and took over.

they never had made wine before but after taking some courses in wine making, they settled on a simple philosophy how to build up business. >> we are hands-off every aspect of the business every day top-to-bottom. >> reporter: that result has resulted in strong growth. in 2005 they produced only 100 cases of wine from nevada-grown grapes. this year, it will be closer to 2,000 cases. >> it's a myth that a winery does not belong in the desert because when you really look at most of california, it is a desert. >> reporter: along with the grapes they buy from outside the state, their total output is impressive. 8,000 to 10,000 cases a year. enough to employ 30 people even through bad times. >> we were fortunate enough to tighten our belt, watch how we spent our money and we made it through without laying off one person zoo they are still in wine country terms. >> i think california has approximately 2,500 wineries and the state of nevada has three. >> reporter: whether it is the

novelty or the quality or the personal touch with which they tend to their place. >> swirl that baby. >> reporter: today, the lokens proudly say business has never been better. >> business is up to levels we haven't seen since before the recession hit and we're back growing again and so we think the future is bright. >> reporter: tom foreman, cnn, pahrump, nevada.